Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra Announces 2023 Tour

Defending Ukraine’s artistic legacy on the cultural front, the orchestra returns to tour Europe in August and September 2023

Created in 2022 by its Canadian-Ukrainian music director and conductor, Keri-Lynn Wilson, the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra (UFO) comprises 74 musicians, including Ukraine war refugees, Ukrainian members of European orchestras, plus members of the Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, and Odessa Symphony Orchestras.

Following its acclaimed 2022 inaugural tour of the U.S. and Europe, UFO will regroup this August to perform at major European festivals and cities — continuing its demonstration of Ukrainian artistry as Ukraine fights for its freedom. 

The tour will begin with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in Warsaw’s Teatr Wielki with the chorus of the Polish Białystok Opera on August 20, followed by an appearance at the Polish Baltic F. Chopin Philharmonic Hall on August 22.

A tour highlight includes a free outdoor concert on the grounds of Berlin’s Schönhausen Palace on August 24 — Ukrainian Independence Day.

UFO will also appear at Switzerland’s Lucerne Festival on August 27, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw on August 28, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie on August 30, the UK’s Snape Maltings concert hall on September 2, and London’s Barbican Centre on September 3.

Ukrainian solo artists appearing across the tour will include violinist Valeriy Sokolov, and singers Olga Kulchynska, Nicole Chirka, Dmytro Popov, and Vladyslav Buialskyi.

The tour program includes Ukrainian composer Yevhen Stankovych’s Violin Concerto No. 2, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, Verdi’s Overture to La Forza del Destino, and Myroslav Skoryk’s Melody.

Supported by the patronage of Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska, UFO will regroup under the auspices of the Metropolitan Opera and Polish National Opera, in coordination with the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture.

Outside of Ukraine, UFO’s musicians also come from ensembles including the Tonkunstler Orchestra of Vienna, Belgian National Orchestra, and Staatskapelle Berlin. 

For this second tour, male members of the orchestra have received special permission from the Ukrainian government to serve their nation through their music and demonstrate the power of art over adversity.

Money raised from the tour will go toward supporting Ukrainian artists. Donations can be made to the Ministry of Culture here.

“The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra is the musical voice of Ukraine,” said Ukrainian First Lady, Zelenska. “Universal and understandable without translation, music is a language we can use to speak to the world,” she continued. 

“I invite you to attend the concerts of the UFO 2023 Summer Freedom Tour to hear the timeless message of liberty contained in the eternal classics of their program. Music will speak to silence aggression.”

“As Ukraine continues its brave fight on behalf of the free world, it needs our support now more than ever,” added Wilson. “And with this summer’s freedom tour of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, I’m proud to join the brave musicians of the Orchestra once again as we defend Ukraine’s cultural legacy. We will not rest until the war is won.”

From UFO’s 2022 tour, three of its 13 concerts were broadcast on television by the BBC from the Proms, Arte from Warsaw, and PBS from the Kennedy Center, while its concerts in France and Germany were broadcast on radio. The 2023 tour is being supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies and managed by the Polish National Opera in partnership with leading artist management agency, Askonas Holt.